The Mission
by Qwerty282
Summary: This is how the zombie virus was found and how one man, the leader of the Humans, pulled through it all. -ON HOLD
1. Prologue

A/N: Hi Guys. If anything, blame school. Sorry I can't be more committed. Anyways enjoy the story. I sacrificed 1 hour of revision for you because I value you way, way more than some shitass excuse for torture (exams).

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**1750 SET, 17 February 2111. Granica City, near River Eberswalde Delta, Mars, Sol star system.**

"Get your ass back here Private!"

"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!"

Several blasts hit nearby, throwing up large piles of dirt.

"Argh—"

"I'm hit!"

"We got three KIAs and one WIA, repeat three-"

"MEDIC!"

"Took out my shields!"

"Die BITCHASS!"

Maj. Leonhard ignored the chaos of the comm. chatter and peered around the plywood box he was hiding behind. A bluish-white beam crackling with electricity grazed his helmet.

"Dammit dammit dammit…" he cursed as he blindly returned fire with his standard issue RF17 All-Purpose Combat Rifle.

A gurgle followed by "glarking" signalled his success. Comm. chatter, however, remained worrisomely pessimistic. He fiddled with his helmet to override the channel such that only he could be heard; a command option for officers and leaders. With his other hand he picked up an LR-10 Sniper Rifle. He quickly sighted a "papaya head" sniper and placed it firmly in his crosshairs.

_Counter-sniping_, he thought as he squeezed off a shot.

A shot to the chest took out the enemy's shield and formed a hole near where a human's heart would be. A second white line flew across the battlefield a second later and impacted on the head of the sniper, taking out half of its oversized brain and putting an end to its miserable life.

"See that? They're losing with every shot we fire boys! Come on, we've taken half the city, what's there not to lose now?" The Major broke out into a huge shit-eating grin, "Charge them! YEAAAAAAAAAAAARRGHHHHH!"

Nearby soldiers gaped in shock as they saw their leader emptying a chaingun at 200rps into a panic-stricken enemy at the same time as charging out without any cover whatsoever.

"What you waiting for? Let's remind ET why they should have stayed by on 23 Librae or wherever! And let's remind them why we are the best in the galaxy! Raze Task Force, CHARGE ON!"

237 surviving Razers smiled the same grin as their CO, left cover and emptied whatever weapon they had at the enemy.

"YAAAARGH!"

The air filled with bullets of all calibres as the human line advanced upon the shattered alien defence. Some crazed soldiers even picked up Zappers—alien microwave weapons—and ran forward to cook any high-forehead they found.

In fifteen minutes, it was over. The city of Granica was recaptured. A tired Major Leonhard lifted his captured Thundergun over his head and bellowed in victory as fellow Razers hoisted the USCG flag over the highest ruin. He was joined by over a two hundred strong voices. The wind carried the glorious sound over the destroyed city. In the moment the 14th RTF Company were closer than ever, brothers and sisters in humanity, tasting the sweet taste of victory.

The song and praise of Victory, the voice of Humanity empowered by the human Spirit, rolled across the Martian landscape, an unseen force that broke any remaining alien's confidence.

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A/N: Sorry but the urge to get poetic won out in the end. Anyways short chapters are my style so get used to it. Sorry it took so long but you know with this being a secret and now being the exam time… well you know.

I'll _try_ to post again soon.

Cya,

Q282_


	2. The Meeting

A/N: Hi guys! I'm through with my exams so I worked triply hard to bring this to you. Hope you enjoy!

1: The Meeting

**1400 hours Standard Earth Time (SET), 25 February 2111. United Sol Colonies (USC) High Command HQ secret meeting room (turn left at fifth floor, push button on the wall that's disguised as a panel, then tap in TR-77-45-ZW-7294967-BLIZZARD…Oops!), Area 51. North American Republic, Earth, Sol.**

"Ladies and gentlemen of the United Sol Emergency Military Government, I am Admiral Harold Smith of the United Sol Space Navy. I am here today to make a short announcement on the war.

The Space War, as it is now known, is a massive drain on our resources and energy. Yet, despite our efforts, we have been slowly pushed back. Since it started in 2108, we have lost 30 military vessels, 100,000 military personnel, 4 colonies and almost 15 million civilians.

The aliens have been closing in on Earth. They ravaged the young colonies of Epsilon Eridani in 2108 and that of Gliese 581 in 2109. They found Sol, our home and cradle of humankind, in 2110.

By then Project Raze was operational and ready for action. We've been fighting on the Jovian Moons, then establishing a Maginot line on Mars, where we were fighting toe-to-toe for every square inch of land, making them pay as much blood as possible for every millimetre they gained.

However, Raze Task Force (RTF) was deployed there on 5 February 2111, and succeeded in driving them off a quarter of the planet in a fortnight. The aliens have not been reinforced since they started the war, and we are driving them back. The do, however, still outnumber us 2-1.

But, comrades—as of 0000 hours SET, 23 February 2111—the aliens have been confined to two cities on Mars! The news was all over the papers, but few know that the RTF Alpha suffered a 50% casualty rate.

Victory may be near, my fellow humans, but remember, so is extinction. We must never drop our guard until this extrasolar threat is rid of once and for all. Thank you all for your attention. "

~Admiral Harold Smith of the USSN _Godspeed_, addressing the USCG Council on Earth

General Mendes slowly nodded, subconsciously scratching the greyed stubble on his chin, "I am inclined to agree with Admiral Smith. Raze has surpassed even the most far-fetched predictions made. 1000 supersoldiers can make a huge difference. People, I believe the Battle of Mars happening now is the Battle of Stalingrad of World War 2 for us!"

Fleet Admiral Nelson nodded in agreement and ordered in his famed husky and authoritative tone, "Admiral, you are dismissed."

As Admiral Smith saluted and left the room, Nelson turned and said, "This is the proof that Lt. Gen. Addison's idea was brilliant. Alpha made startling progress. Now, a vote; how many believe we should proceed with Bravo?"

Most of the 20 representatives raised their hands. The only ones that didn't were Fleet Admiral Nelson and Gen. Mendes, who were smiling like they didn't have a care in the world.

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**2000 SET, 1 March 2111. USC HIGHCOM HQ secret meeting room, Area 51. North American Republic, Earth, Sol star system.**

Once the last figure was seated, the meeting began.

"Well, is it a go?"

"Too risky; a RTF Instructor, Razers from Alpha-1 and raw recruits from Bravo-1? That's putting all your eggs in one basket."

"It's the best team, and all but the Bravos have seen at least 3 battles. The Bravo-1 kids may still be pulled out of a debriefing room after a battle."

"Yes totally viable."

"I'm convinced, but who should be the leader?"

"Lt. Matthews is always looking for a ship; maybe he should get the job."

"Bu-but he's a first-rate sonuva bitch asshole!"

"Don't forget that he keeps flooding our mail with complaints regarding a lack of ship."

A datapad pinged, prompting a shadowed hand picked it up.

"Yep, and he just sent another."

"Alright, Lt. Michael S. Matthews it is."

"Then it is sealed. Operation Counterstrike is go for 1 July 2111."

"So long?"

"Supplies, augmentations for the ship, USSN _Into the Night_, RTF Bravo is pumped out in a month…"

"I see."

"Very well, dismissed.

Thus the mysterious council ended.

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A/N: Alright, so I kind of based this on the secret ONI room in _Ghosts of Onyx_. Anyways it is still way more mysterious, right?

Please tell me what you think.

Till next month!

_Q282__


	3. The Bridge

A/N: Yay! Holidays are here! I'll be able to update more frequently! Ooh-rah!

Anyways, on with the STORY!

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Chapter 2: Trouble on a Rock

**1150 SET, 2 July 2111. Onboard the bridge of the USSN (United Sol Space Navy) research vessel **_**Into the Night.**_** Near Sedna, Sol star system.**

"Okay, what's the deal over this mission? We're fighting a goddamn war here! I joined Raze to teach combat _and _kick ass, not to sit out on some random ship bound out-system for whatever shit!"

Most of the crew of the _Into the Night_ shared the Sergeant's view and expressed it through grumbles and mutters of approval. Their new Commanding Officer, a certain Lieutenant Matthews, turned around and politely reminded Johnson why they were sent out to the Oort cloud. Well, maybe not so politely.

"That's because those high-forehead bastards we're fighting _are not_ the Little Green Men from Mars; even though they are fighting for it, it don't mean they come from that god-forsaken rock!" Matthews shouted; his already frayed patience did not aid his infamous temper.

Ensign Lopez visibly stiffened: Mars was his birthplace and the Lt. had just called it "god-forsaken".

"Wherever they came from, it ain't good ol' Sol, 'kay? That's why we are in a small stealth ship en route to a little patch of comets to see if there's an armada to worry about."

The el-tee literally spat the words out in the Sarge's face.

"And that's why we aren't wasting one of Humanity's best on a stupid ground engagement on a helpless Mars."

There had been rumours that he spat globules of phlegm and saliva into the faces of those who ridiculed him openly or pressed the right buttons, but they were regarded by all unaffected soldiers as false. Then Matthews comes along...

Sgt. Johnson wiped the spittle from his nose, cursing under his breath. He hated the way the Lieutenant was always over-analytical. It gave that scientist bastard the illusion of always being right, which he damned near was. Johnson, and most other people who knew him, believed Michael Silas Matthews was a Lieutenant only because that was the rank required to command any naval vessel of the Unified Sol Colonies. The higher-ups obviously picked the wrong guy to send out.

Meanwhile, Matthews turned around and stared out of the bridge and into the deep, empty space between the Kuiper belt and the inner Oort cloud. Well… almost empty space.

"Ensign, set a course for a slingshot around Sedna. It's that red dot about 20 degrees to the left. That'll cut the travel time by 5 minutes."

"Yes, sir," Lopez answered coldly, "Thanks for the directions, Captain Obvious."

He stabbed the buttons on his station as if doing so would murder Matthews. The _Into the Night_'s starboard engines rumbled in response; three bluish lights briefly flickered into existence in the dark void of space before winking out again.

**1700 SET, 2 June 2111. Bridge of the USSN **_**Into the Night**_**. Near the outer Oort cloud, Sol star system.**

"Ensign Rockit, initiate preliminary scans."

"Aye, sir."

After 15 minutes, the scanner pinged. All three people stopped what they were doing and looked at the screen. After half a minute pinging Matthews pushed Rockit on the floor and checked the displays. His face was pale and grim. Lopez scrambled over to Matthews and a dazed Rockit hauled himself up to watch and muttered something obscene while rubbing his butt.

"Alright people, fuck's just found us," an emotionless Matthews stated.

Then, as if a spell was broken, everything went back to normal. Matthews' fingers danced across the controls, zooming in on the object and triggering different scan modes.

"Ensign, I don't care which Ensign, go and tell everyone to gather in the hangar by 45. The other go and fetch the good Sarge here. Now."

**1720 SET, 2 July 2111. Bridge of the USSN **_**Into the Night.**_** Near the outer Oort cloud, Sol star system.**

Sgt. Johnson stepped onto the bridge. His escort, Ensign Lopez, immediately went back to his station. Rockit wasn't around. Johnson casually stood at ease.

"Well Johnson, what do you think of this?"

He took two quick steps to where Matthews sat staring at a bar that read: Scanning, 92% complete. Then, in 4 seconds, it finished. Matthews archived it, then got up and walked back to his station.

"You see, this rock—" Matthews gestured to the 3D image of a small comet on the screen, "—is not from here."

Johnson shifted uneasily as he let that implication sink in.

"Scans show it has a diameter of 0.8km at its widest, and 0.2km at its thinnest. It is composed of high amounts of Titanium and some unknown material that I'm calling X."

"X?"

"You know, the algebra symbol for an unknown, the _x_ that's on your tests?"

"Oh…"

"Anyways," Matthews rolled his eyes, "the point is scans have shown that this rock is headed in-system. The trajectory suggests that it originates from a section of space around 23 Librae, likely from the star itself."

The Sarge looked very uneasy, "The alien bastards' homeworld is 85 light-years away?"

"Maybe, maybe not. By the way thermals show that the rock has a small source of heat on the surface. That could be a point of investigation. Or it could be an airlock to a Trojan horse full of bigheads. Definitely something to investigate."

"Investigate?" Johnson asked incredulously, "Why not just blow that damn thing to Kingdom Come? It would be waaaaaaaaaay easier on us and the mission. Then I could go back to teaching RTF Charlie to kill an alien in one hit! Maybe I could retire to the battlefield instead…"

"Sergeant! If you want to become a Staff Sergeant one day, then you should listen up! This has the potential to save us all. We could save humanity by going groundside on this rock." Matthews was red in the face by now and he was visibly trying not to strangle the Sergeant there and then, "Dismissed. Now meet your men in the hangar. I'll be going down later."

Sgt. Johnson promptly saluted out of protocol's sake before about-turning and leaving the small bridge.

"We could save humanity by blowing this shit up," muttered Johnson dryly as he walked along the corridors of the ship, casually taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

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A/N: Well there you have it, Chapter 2. Anyways this is an unusually long chapter for me. Hope you guys like it because I worked overtime for this one.

_Q282__


	4. The Asteroid

A/N: Yay! Chapter 3 is finally up! Enjoy! I'll be able to post more often for a month.

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3: Artefacts 101

**1745 SET, 2 July 2111. USSN **_**Into the Night**_**'s ****Hangar Bay. Near previously undocumented type of asteroid, outer Oort cloud, Sol. **

"Alright men, listen up!" Sgt. Johnson's voice boomed as if he were addressing 1000 assembled the troops in the bay, but the grand total was actually 9, excluding Johnson and Matthews, the latter giving the go-ahead to continue.

"We are here to investigate this weird type of asteroid that, according to Mr. Scientist Guy, shouldn't be here. Well I personally think we should just blast the goddamn thing to whatever kingdom-that-may-be, but the El-Tee thinks we should LAND there and INVESTIGATE this shit instead!"

Matthews winced as the Sarge's mention of blowing the potential scientific find of the millennium drew a round of applause from the crew.

"I agree, but if we show up on Mars with him as prisoner—or without him at all—we'd be in for big shit. So J. Brothers, suit up and haul ass to the airlock. Cpl. Jake Ponder, you're our mule this time, so get the Lieutenant's crap and follow him like Mary's lamb. Much as I hate it, he's coming along and I'm on bodyguard duty," Johnson bellowed and was promptly obeyed.

Matthews stormed up to the Sarge, who was wearing the biggest, smuggest smile in the history of mankind. That was, until then. Matthews brought his palm back and slapped Johnson so hard that he spun 180 degrees from the sheer force of the impact.

"ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY JOHNSON?"

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**1800 SET. Surface of previously undocumented type of asteroid (designated Gamma-4256B), outer Oort cloud, Sol. Near the USSN **_**Into the Night**_**.**

The five men touched down on the nearly kilometre wide lump of rock and powered down their nitrogen thruster packs. Their landing spot was specially chosen to be near the spot containing the mysterious source of heat. None of the landing party knew that however; only Johnson and Matthews did.

"Cormac, take point, set an example for your raw brother," Lt. Matthews' voice crackled through their comms. as they approached their target.

"Aye, _sir_," Corporal Cormac Jenkins of Alpha-3 responded as he moved forward. He stressed on the venom-laced _sir_.

Translation:"The only reasons I'm doing this are that there're no hostiles on this damn rock and I'll get court-martialled if I punch your piss-ass face until the visor cracks."

"Good boy, Cor. Now El-tee, I seem to recall you saying something about—OW—FUCKING HURTS THROUGH THIS SHITTY EXCUSE FOR AN ARMOURED VACSUIT!" Sgt. Johnson ended up screaming obscenities and doing ten-foot jumps around the spot where he certainly kicked the wrong thing—for ten full minutes. In the end, the inside of his visor was covered with spittle and he was panting like a mad dog.

Everyone—minus Johnson, who sat red-faced on the dusty ground rubbing his armoured foot—gathered around the strange bump in the surface of the ground. Matthews grabbed a weird gadget that looked like a sniper-optics/datapad hybrid and pressed a few buttons. He nodded satisfactorily and stowed the gadget.

"Gentlemen and lady, we have what we came for."

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A/N: Well there we are. Chapter 3. We can all guess who Lt. Matthews is referring to when he said lady, right guys? (psst... it's Johnson)

Anyways I'll be popping by the Army Open House tomorrow. There'll be gunz. BOOYEAH BITCH!

_Q282__


	5. What is That?

A/N: Hi guys. I'm back for a shoert time. I'll be able to update for a while, but once I leave again, no updates until I figure somrething out. I'll be squeezing out as much as possible while I can. I appreciate your patience and thank you all.

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4: What is That?

**1850 SET, 2 July 2111. Hangar Bay, USSN **_**Into the Night. **_**In orbit around Asteroid Gamma-4256B, outer Oort cloud, Sol.**

The box clanged on the floor in the hangar loudly. It was quickly followed by two very tired corporals who were still in their vacsuits.

"Fuck… was… that… heavy… as… shit…" Cpl. Jake Ponder wheezed as Johnson pulled his helmet off for him.

"Damn… fucking… straight…" Cpl. Cormac Jenkins agreed in between breaths as his brother fanned his now-exposed head.

"Come on you sissies; don't tell me you two can't lift this damn thing? If you still want a shower then get moving in five! Four!" Johnson bellowed as he removed his chest armor.

The two men grumbled under their breaths as they, with some help from Pvt. Jenkins, managed to stagger to their feet and haul ass to the living quarters.

**1851 SET, 2 July 2111. Bridge of the USSN **_**Into the Night**_**. In orbit around Asteroid Gamma-4256B, outer Oort Cloud, Sol.**

Lt. Matthews strode into the bridge, barely able to contain his excitement

"Ensign Lopez, fire the warpspace drive, set course for somewhere between Neptune and Jupiter. Rockit, push the reactor to 110%."

"Sir," the Ensigns replied, then Lopez stated, "ETA is nine and a half hours. You seem rather… happy… sir."

Matthews nodded enthusiastically like an eager five-year-old. Lopez and Rockit exchanged odd looks—this was far from the LT's usual don't-fuck-with-me-or -you-die mood—before shrugging it off and concluding that either the end of the world was here, or the LT suddenly had a change of heart.

Unanimously, they silently agreed on the more likely one.

"Is this the end of the world, sir?" Rockit squeaked nervously.

Lt. Matthews was grinning ear to ear as he turned to address Lopez, "Yes, yes. Doomsday just got real. Very, very real."

He began keying data into the ship's system and backing it up into a data chip as the Ensigns exchanged worried glances with one another—their CO just broke his previous record of 56.78 seconds for smiling by nearly 2 minutes and counting!

"For the stupid bighead aliens! We're gonna wipe 'em out!"

He topped it off with a maniacal laugh which got his bridge crew even more worried. Now they had a potential psychopath gone psycho on the bridge with them.

They spent the rest of the trip in (very) anxious silence. That was, before sleep overtook them.

Lt. Matthews never stopped grinning.

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A/N: There you go. The long overdue Chapter 4. Hope you liked it.

Chapter 5 is half finished and the Commander will make his first appearance. But first, bios.

I've figured that the characters are making too short a stay for deep characterisation, so I'll be adding bios before chapters 5 and 6 are uploading. (It'll also buy some time for me to finish them. Heh heh...)

Till next time,

Q282_


	6. Jovial Shopping

A/N: Hoo-ah! An update! And the Alien Commander is here! Yay! Or is that boo? I also played with the wording for the Chapter title.

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5: Jovial Shopping

**0200 SET, 3 July 2111. Temporary Raze barracks, Granica, Eberswalde Delta. Mars, Sol**

Glar Teshmou relished the feeling of the blood on his hands as the pathetic human's head was crushed in his arms. Its companion yelped in shock as its face was spattered by blood. It squeezed off two shots before Teshmou shot him between the eyes with its own weapon. A "shotgun" if he wasn't mistaken.

Suddenly, a barrage of bullets hammered into his shield. As he ducked behind cover, he noticed that that particular human was more alert than the others. He grabbed the largest gun nearby, which waqs long, thin and black.

He hissed as he fired off a shot, but was rewarded with a burst of bullets. The human had dodged it. By then, the rest of the building was either half-awake and running away, or half-awake and running towards him.

He saw a muzzle flash from a hole in the floor. It was immediately engulfed in a rocket. Glar Teshmou smirked. The humans would do half the killing for him.

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**0420 SET, 3 July 2111. Bridge of the USSN **_**Into the Night.**_** Approximately 7AU from Sol and 2 AU from Jupiter, Sol.**

The constant beeping of the alarm clock was finally ended by the fist of a very sleepy Ensign Lopez.

"Disengaging warpspace drive," Lopez mumbled as he pressed the button on his panel before falling fast asleep again.

A ripple formed in space and the ship glided through the hole in spacetime. Ship-wide alarms rang to alert the sleepy crew.

"Battle stations everyone! To your posts!" Lt. Matthews stooped to slap Sgt. Johnson in the face, "Wakey, wakey!"

Johnson groaned and rubbed his head before reaching for his ever-present CS-50 flame shotgun. He stopped to strap his Magnum T2 to his belt before following Matthews to the bridge, casually nicking Pvt. Jenkins' AR-55 en route. He really had to hammer the concept of situational awareness into the team's sniper, of all people.

The ship was rather small—modified from a transport vessel—and was mostly hangar and bridge. Thus, the journey barely took 30 seconds, start to end. Upon entering, he took the liberty of lighting a Marlboro to wake himself up.

"Ensign Rockit, send transmission to the Ganymede Outpost, request permission to land. Resupply and refuel purposes."

"On it!"

"Lopez, set course for Jupiter."

"Aye."

"Johnson, hide the damn chest somewhere."

"Wha…?" Johnson glanced sleepily up at Matthews. He'd fallen asleep while Matthews gave orders.

"I SAID TO FUCKING MOVE THE FUCKING BOX OUTTA THE FUCKING HANGAR!" Matthews gave Johnson a free face wash and gave him such a start that he spat his cigarette straight into Matthews' mouth.

Johnson, after recovering from the shock, struggled to suppress a snicker when the Lieutenant began to choke on the cigarette stuck halfway down him throat, then scrambled out of the bridge as an enraged Michael Silas Matthews tried to grab him.

It was comical. The El-tee was kneeling on the floor, red in the face and starting to foam in his mouth. He had one hand on his throat and one hand was reaching out to the door. His face was contorted in pain and anger. Oh yeah, and Johnson was stumbling towards the door, high on humour and laughing his ass off, despite the spittle dripping from his nose.

After the bridge doors closed, he gave in and collapsed on the floor and resorted to cursing Sgt. Johnson in between hacks and coughs. Needless to say, it was in language vulgar enough to make the most hardened sailor squirm and blush. That was, considering you understood what he was saying in that state.

Rockit and Lopez decided to pretend he didn't exist and zoned out. Their ears had suffered enough already.

* * *

"Ganymede this is the USSN _Into the Night_. Does anyone copy?"

"_Into the Night_ this is Ganymede Orbital Outpost 2, we copy you. Please state your Name, rank and service ID."

"Ganymede 2 this is the _Into the Night_. I am Lieutenant Michael Silas Matthews, service ID number 45799-02018-MM."

"*keys tapping* Right, you check out. _Into the _Night, this is Ganymede 2. You've been verified. What is your business here?"

"Ganymede 2 this is the _Into the Night_. We are requesting permission to land on the surface. Refuel and resupply purposes. Also, we need a verifiable secure channel with connection to Earth."

"Uh… Roger that _Into the Night_. You're cleared to land over in… Ganymede Surface Depot 1, Hangar 2. Surface Military Base 3 is a couple hundred yards to the east, relative to the moon's axis. You should be able to make your call there."

"Thank you , Ganymede 2. _Into the Night _out."

* * *

As Matthews strode into the hangar, he stuffed a crumpled piece of paper into Pvt. Jenkins' hand. Before it was enveloped in the Private's hand, Johnson managed to make out the words "Shopping List" scrawled on the top.

"That'll keep you boys busy. Come along Johnson. We've got a date with the military base here.

"Coming, coming…" Johnson mumbled as he shuffled out after the Lieutenant.

Meanwhile, Pvt. Jenkins was unfolding the crumpled piece of paper while everyone else crowded round behind him. Jacobs' eyebrow shot up when he saw the list.

"Alright, that one looooong-ass list, so let's move!" Cpl. Jenkins said as he slung his XMG-2 across his back.

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A/N: I kept my bloody promise didn't I? You wanted the Commander, I give you Glar Teshmou! Rest assured, he'll be making more appearances later. I've postponed the Bios of the Navy flyboys to later, so they can double as eulogies. They''l be out round Chapters 9-14 or so. Also, I have a feeling you guys are sick of bios. Enjoy!

P.S. Glar is the alien rank of Commander, roughly equivalent to the rank of Colonel in human military ranks. All made up by yours truly. *Bows deeply*


	7. Origins

A/N: Chapter 6 is up! Yay! In this chapter, I decided to explain the presence of an extraterrestrial rock in the Solar System. I hope it is up to your standards, I'm no scientist!

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6: Origins

There existed far away a peaceful, science-oriented species of intellectual beings whose only purpose and passion was further advancement of their powerful technology. They called themselves the Akyron.

Harkor Rolono Meypa D'Mana was the lead scientist in a controversial project to make an elixir of life. However, though many supported it, there were those who believed it wrong for any being to have immortality. Thus, when at a stage where the elixir was near completion, disaster struck. Rolono was killed in his laboratory.

However, before he died, he managed to hide the potion in a rocket, which he fired into space to coordinates only his trusted colleague Harkor Neemaso Kermo D'Mana knew. Unfortunately, the panicked scientist accidentally reversed the coordinates, sending the potion off to an unknown location.

The elixir was lost

* * *

A century later a colony scouting party chanced upon the most unlikely discovery:

A supposedly dead but hospitable planet was completely devoid of life except in a one square mile area. It was an Akryon crash site.

The surrounding area was teeming with a strange moss-like flora, while among them were complex microorganisms and small warring colonies of cells. A society on the microscopic scale.

The discovery was unprecedented. The entire media was abuzz with it. That was, until a bright spark pointed out the incident at Hakkor Rolono's laboratory a century ago.

Immediately, the Science Council locked the area down and sent a team of highly respected scientists to investigate.

The results astounded the public. The liquid, despite being unable to prolong the life of one being, was itself capable of emitting a sort of frequency which seemed to increase the pace of evolution itself. It also seemed to be able to effectively cultivate life from nothing.

A test involving a rock suspended in a vacuum with a drop of the elixir yielded complex amino acids within a month.

Immediately, a sort of philosophy emerged: their race was responsible for seeding the galaxy with life. Rebels stole a sample and found an anti-elixir: capable of countering the effects of the original elixir without affecting anything around it.

They began launching large vials of the liquid in rocket propelled meteoroids to all known and unoccupied systems able to sustain life, in hopes of creating new races and perhaps enabling them to understand the origins of their own race…

* * *

However, Fate had different ideas. One meteoroid misfired a rocket in FTL space while en route to its destination. The resulting explosion tore off the rear of the asteroid, destroying the propulsion system, FTL drive, communications array, trackers and sensors in one blow.

Thus the elixir was lost for a second time.

Without the drive, the meteoroid tumbled out of FTL space and continued on its course, its cargo miraculously undamaged. And, just by chance, it passed through the Sol System where it underwent the sensors and scanners of the USSN_ Into the Night_.

It traded hands between two warring factions several times. Finally, the actions and experimentations of one side so corrupted the elixir that it became a force of its own, the Zombie Plague, bringing death and destruction to the other faction.

* * *

A/N: This pretty much sums up the origins of the Zombie Virus. I kinda based the alien race on the Kryptonians of the DC Universe.

Also, the names:

The first part is a title, job, or rank. In this case, 'Hakkor' means 'scientist'.

The next is the given name and is mostly three syllables long (Ro-lo-mo).

The next is the name of the house or clan, usually two syllables (Mey-pa).

Lastly, is the name of the colony they originated from, with a D' (translated as 'of') in front ('D'Mana' would then be 'from/child of the planet Mana).

Again, I took inspiration from the names of the Mgalekgolo of _Halo: Ghosts of Onyx_.


	8. (In)secure Communication

A/N: Yes, we are back in business (finally). Damned writer's block. Seems to be happening quite often in this story. Anyways, an update is an update and this story is UPDATED. Enjoy.

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7: (In)Secure Communication

**0504 SET, 3 July 2111. Bridge of the Hierarchy Capital Dreadnought _Norakra_. In geosynchronous orbit above Mars, Sol.**

The receiver on the bridge of the Capital Ship Norakra buzzed. Ponamis quickly scampered over and started fiddling with the machine. A very _human_ voice started playing over the speakers.

_"*Ckrrr*… are*bgrrrrkrkr*-ing find. I re-*krzzz*-end im-*BZKRRRR-krakrakra-TZZZ*Rendezvous Point Alph-*whirr*… will pers-*Trztrz**whirr~clikclikclik*"_

_"If what you are saying is correct, then we have enough information launch an immediate counterattack. Make sure that the information doesn't get out. If not, then those bastards may just have a new ally."_

At once, all heads in the bridge swiveled their heads towards Ponamis' station. It was common knowledge that when a human said "those bastards", they meant them, the Phverés Alliance.

"/A new ally?/" Gnarthuk hissed.*

Everyone rolled their eyes. Gnarthuk was the brute of the team. He favoured the human's weaponry. Said it had a… brutish aspect to it that made killing with it oh-so much more enjoyable. Also important: Gnarthuk is _extremely_ antisocial. It took him 6 months to stop trying to kill his crew members and another year to see them as assets. Obviously, he wasn't happy.

"/Radio the Commander, Ponamis. This is something he should know of./" Thyolax suggested.

Said officer nodded as he keyed the comm.

* * *

Teshmou grinned devilishly at the squirming human under his foot. He leaned towards his victim until their faces were mere inches apart. He basked in the utter fear from his opponent as he withdrew his stolen human pistol slowly and clicked the safety off. Looking on with glee as his actions provoked the desired effect from his enemy.

Just as he was aligning the weapon for a shot, his comm. unit buzzed. Growling in frustration at the ruined moment, he kept his foot on his captive and accepted the incoming transmission.

"/Glar Teshmou, sir!/"

"/This had better be good, Ney, or, g'bishkar Kopukmar**, I **will** lock you in the brig with Gnarthuk./" Teshmou growled into the mic; one could easily tell he wasn't in the best of moods.

"/This. Intercepted from the first gas giant in this system./:

"…_Make sure that the information doesn't get out. If not, then those bastards may just have a new ally._"

Teshmou pondered over the intercepted message for a moment. Having made up his mind, he one-handedly shot his prisoner in the head, recoil jarring his arm as the .44 calibre bullet left the barrel.

"/Send me a transport. Continue monitoring the humans' comms. Tell Thyolax to print the coordinates of every human vessel beyond the orbit of this planet. This is something I will see to personally./"

* * *

**0549 SET, 3 July 2111. Hanger bay of the USSN_ Into the Night_. Near Mars, Sol.**

"OK. Since we both want to get rid of each other's ass as soon as possible, why don't you all load your stuff into one of the escape pods so I can jettison you when we reach Mars' orbit?" Lt. Matthews suggested.

"Fast, efficient, unheard of and ends with me blowing something up. Best plan I've heard in some time." Sergeant Johnson replied.

* * *

TEASER!

* * *

"Get in the Wolf! It's either that or death, Corporal." Sergeant Johnson shouted.

As if to emphasise his point, a rocket slammed into the other side of their cover, dislodging dirt from the ceiling and forming cracks in the concrete.

"Fine." Cormac conceded.

They piled into the five-seater vehicle. Ponder, being the biggest, sat in the rear-facing back seat. Johnson and the younger Jenkins sat in the middle two, while Jacobs and Cormac piled in front, the latter having called shotgun.

The Wolf Light Anti-Personnel and Reconnaissance Vehicle was designed to carry a small squad or half a large squad into battle quickly. It had dual forward-facing .30 MGs mounted on the side which could be controlled and fired by the driver. It also had a rear-facing turret manned by the last person in case of a high speed case. A forward-facing turret designed to be manned by either person sitting in the centre seats was also placed to facilitate a 360° field of fire.

The command version also came with a radio. And the team so happened to be using Major Leonhard Simmons' Wolf.

"Ooh… A radio…" Jacobs murmured as he hotwired the engine.

No one was surprised; by now everyone had stopped asking questions. About the eccentric trooper.

Meanwhile, Jacobs plugged a USB drive into the radio and selected the folder "Battlemania" and chose the song "Lightspeed" by Waterflame. As the song began to play, the madman of the squad revved the engine experimentally before shooting out of the garage, .30s blazing.

* * *

* All dialogue in an alien language will be in slashes. E.g. said, "/Something/".

** G'bishkar Kopukmar: A phrase which has the same meaning as the English "Or so help me!" A rough translation would be "By the wrath of Kopukmar". Kopukmar was a legendary warrior who united the warring races of their homeworld.

* * *

A/N: OK. Short chapter. Like I said, I struggled with writer's block for like 2 weeks before shouting "SCREW IT!" and chucking a teaser at the end for length. And the Wolf scene? It's already written. Next update will be in 2 weeks and I'll give you guys a double package. I've already given you a double package this weekend and besides, good things come to those who wait!

_Q282__


	9. Boarding Action

A/N: Alright. Chapter 8. Now THIS is the beginning of the fight. Sorry, no double chapter yet. Last minute revision made another chapter in betweeen and it is currently being written.

8: Boarding Action

**0721 SET, 3 July 2111. Hangar bay of the USSN **_**Into the Night**_**. Mars orbit, Sol.**

"Attention unnecessary cargo, we are approaching Mars orbit. Please prepare to be fired at the enemy." Matthews' voice boomed over the loudspeakers.

"For all his asshole ways, you gotta appreciate the LT's humour, huh?" Pvt. Richard Jenkins remarked.

Then the Sarge strolled in.

"Alright everyone, let's-"

He never finished his sentence, for at that moment, a hole was blown into the side of the hangar, knocking the Sergeant out cold and throwing him into the escape pod.

* * *

"/Secure the ship. Jettison the escape pods. Let no human leave alive./" Teshmou barked out his orders to Ponamis and Thyolax as they fanned out of the breach.

Almost instantly, they came under fire.

* * *

Warning klaxons blared in the bridge as the Ensigns struggled to contain the situation.

"Sir, reporting a hull breach in the port hangar. Shields are down to 5%."

"Sir, there are no friendly ships in the area. We're alone in this."

Matthews grabbed a shotgun from the wall, "Get the cargo to safety. Fire it and the Sarge groundside. It's our only hope if this ship fails."

With that, he opened the bridge doors and opened fire.

* * *

"/They're flanking us!/" Ponamis shouted as he fired his dual Bio Uzis.

"/Thyolax, run forward and cook them. Ponamis, do it/"

As Ponamis shot the escape pods out of the ship, the trooper charged, firing a purple beam of death. However, a shotgun from one alien forced him to discharge his beam in the wrong direction.

It impacted the mysterious box.

Immediately, some sort of weird feeling overcame all who were standing, invisible waves subtly influencing their brains. All but Teshmou were transfixed on the object, the latter having been pinned behind cover.

* * *

As Matthews stood transfixed at the box, he could only think of one thing,** "Kill whoever touches the box."**

Roaring, he launched himself at Lopez, blasting the younger man out of the way with his shotgun. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw an alien attempt to grab the box, only to have part of his armour melted under the sustained barrage of its comrade.

Matthews, however, wasn't bothered by the notion of his enemies fighting each other. The one line of thought going through his mind was that others wanted what was rightfully his.

"**I must have the box!"**

* * *

Glar Teshmou did not know what was happening, but was content to let it stay that way. While the others fought against each other, he helped himself to the humans' weapons. Apparently much of the armoury was jettisoned with the pods, but there was enough to accomplish his mission.

He keyed the mod he built into his suit—it allowed him to overcharge his shield such that it was impenetrable. The downside was that it used up a lot of power and, once the power source is drained, his shields would not recharge for some time, leaving him vulnerable. He growled in satisfaction as a purple aura surrounded him.

Hefting his stolen racket launcher, the commander charged the embattled and weakened group with a brutal war cry worthy of Gnarthuk.

* * *

Corporal Cormac Jenkins wrestled to control the descent of the ship as it entered the Martian Atmosphere. Wiping the sweat from his eyes, he tried to aim for the formerly heavily-occupied Eberswalde Delta as he contemplated the recent spate of events that landed him in this predicament…

As soon as Johnson was thrown into the lifeboat, the doors had closed and sealed, beginning the auto-launch sequence which would fire them out of the ship and into space. It was sheer luck they were in position to land on Mars when it happened.

Immediately after they were launched clear, a warning klaxon sounded as they entered the atmosphere. Being the only one in the lifeboat who still had a cool head, he had run to the front and seized control of the lifeboat.

Every Raze Soldier was taught how to man every military vehicle. Cormac merely applied his knowledge of aerodynamics and basic fighter jet manning to (rather unsuccessfully) land them safely.

Another warning klaxon began blaring, snapping him from his daze. Swearing, he checked to see what it was. Apparently the re-entry coolant was not enough to keep the protective covering from burning. Corporal Jenkins began to regret the day when he turned down the Tech Specialisation course in training.

"Where's my frickin' brother when I fucking need him?" he swore loudly, fully aware said Private was knocked out when Sgt. Johnson came crashing into the boat.

The rest of the crew weren't being helpful either. Ponder was yelling something about venting the coolant. Sarge was incapacitated. His lil' bro was also KO'ed. Jacobs was shouting something about Granica being the second large patch of grey west of the delta. All in all, not being very helpful.

Another klaxon began blaring as a feminine voice told him that the heat shields had reached critical levels.

"Please adjust your re-entry position to a more streamlined one," a diagram popped up showing the optimum position, "vent primary coolant and engage the secondary coolant."

"Kay, Miss. Will fucking do if I had a third freaking hand to do that!" Jenkins shouted as he tried to adjust the life boat's trajectory to the one shown in the hologram.

Suddenly, he got pushed out of his seat. Shouting out in surprise, he looked up just in time to see his brother sit down onto his recently vacated pilot's seat and begin pressing controls seemingly at random. Almost at once, half of the blaring klaxons turned off as a feminine voice announced that the landing autopilot was engaged.

Turning to address his brother, Pvt. Richard Jenkins said icily, "Next time this happens, I expect to be shaken awake. If I die, I don't want it to be because my tech illiterate brother forgot to wake my ass up."

* * *

A/N: Yep, poor Cormac. And yes, the younger Jenkins resents his elder brother being so protective of him. Since I managed to extend the story-and by extension the lives of the characters, I won't really be needing the bios. If you want them, I'll be happy to send them to you. Just PM.

_Q282__


End file.
